Juntos: Stronger Together

From September 15 to October 15, our Electronic Artists celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month to honor the culture, history, and contributions of our Hispanic and Latinx communities. And while its origins are based in the U.S., we take this time to reflect and uplift the diaspora of Hispanic and Latinx peoples across the globe. These communities play a vital role in our games, our workforce, and in the communities we serve -- inspiring us to continuously prioritize Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for a greater culture and impact. 

Our theme for this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, “Juntos: Stronger Together”, is of special significance -- as it represents the resilience and connectedness we see in Hispanic/Latinx culture. Throughout the month’s festivities, SOMOS, our Hispanic/Latinx Employee Resource group took us on a rich cultural journey where each Electronic Artist was encouraged to….

• Explore the impact and importance of representation through curated events. Featured guests LPGA golfer Gaby Lopez, international influencer Rodrigol, and Afro-Latina APEX Legends streamer ValkyrieVice explored the importance of gender inclusivity and accurate representation of Hispanic/Latinx culture in gaming. New York Times Bestselling Author & former WWE Wrestler, AJ Mendez, shared her journey as a proud Latina living with mental illness and how she overcame stigmas faced in the Latinx community. 
• Empower the innovation of our Hispanic/Latinx next-gen talent with a pitch competition. We teamed up with CoLabL to host a "Stronger Together" interactive scholarship pitch competition where Latinx young leaders delivered a two-minute pitch to EA volunteers about their community-based programs. Our winners were awarded $7,500 in scholarship funds to support achieving their academic, career, and life goals. 
• Experience the rich Hispanic/Latinx culture through food. We honored the Hispanic/Latinx heritage through the universal language of food. Chef Yexenia Gomez, featured contributor on UNIVISION, Se Habla USA, hosted virtual cooking lessons and took us to Venezuela where we whipped up Arepas de Reina Pepiada. Then we headed west to El Salvador where we learned how to make Salvadoran quesadillas, a sweet cheese pound cake.
• Support disaster relief efforts in Haiti. We donated $5,000 to Hope for Haiti - an organization committed to improving the quality of life across Haiti, a country whose culture has influenced a rich intersectionality between itself and the Dominican Republic. 

These communities are diverse, intersectional and profound with family, community, and resilience at the core of their values. This month, and every month, Electronic Arts wants us to center those same values when we play and connect with the world around us -- más fuerte juntos…. stronger together.